HoB a living example of green economy: WWF

Kota Kinabalu: Member countries of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) have been called to develop and showcase living examples of green economy in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in Brazil next June.The Worldwide Fund for Nature's (WWF) HoB Initiative team leader, Adam Tomasek, said in a statement Wednesday that the conference is held to get all members to forge new and more decisive response to the sustainable development challenges of the 21st century.

WWF believes that the 220,000 sq. km area of largely intact rainforest called the HoB is a natural priority for riding the wave of green economy, thinking through action to deliver long-term economic, ecological and social benefits.

It was also reported that forests in a green economy, just released by the United Nations Environment Programme to celebrate World Environment Day, has underscored the multitude of benefits that forests like those found in the Heart of Borneo provide to humanity.

Emphasising this year's WED theme: Forests: Nature at Your Service - the report says investing an additional US$40 billion a year in the global forestry sector could halve deforestation rates by 2030, increase rates of tree planting by around 140 per cent by 2050, and catalyse the creation of millions of new jobs.

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Tomasek also stated that the economies of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia were well placed to benefit from this new "forest solutions" approach within a green economy, as they had already committed significant support to the conservation and sustainable development of the vast area of the particular tropical rainforest.

"The green economy approach has been supported publicly by heads of state and senior government officials in Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.

"For example, the Malaysian Prime Minister recently convened the first meeting of the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC) for Malaysia, in New York, on delivering science and innovation for a green economy.

"Also in Jakarta, just last month, the Indonesian President highlighted Indonesia's green economy credentials at B4E - one of the world's premier environmental conferences."

"The UNEP report represents a welcome sign for investing in forests as a means to protect ecosystem services, tackle climate change and expand economic growth" he said.

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This was a sentiment echoed by the UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner in a press statement released with the report.

"The Green Economy initiative has identified forestry as one of the ten central sectors capable of propelling a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient, employment-generating future, if backed by investment and forward-looking policies," he said.

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